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Fevers

‘To write any Thing tolerable about Fevers, or anything worse than what had already been advanced by someone or other on the Head, is perhaps no easy Matter.’

This quotation from the preface of Edward Worth’s copy of George Cheyne’s, A new theory of acute and slow continu’d fevers (London, 1722), amply sums up the difficulties involved in writing about fevers, either in the early eighteenth century, or today. Worth’s collection of texts on fevers is very extensive, as the listing of texts specifically on fevers in the Worth Library at the end of this page demonstrates. This listing concentrates on texts solely devoted to the subject of fevers but it should be remembered that fevers as a topic were covered in almost all compilation volumes of the works of Galen, Hippocrates and later medical writers. An example of this may be seen on the title page of Worth’s copy of Sir Théodore Turquet de Mayerne’s Praxeos Mayernianae (London, 1696):

UP4.2.3.port-and-tp

Théodore Turquet de Mayerne, Praxeos Mayernianae (London, 1696), portrait and title page.

The Worth Library’s wonderful collection of medical texts on fever therefore offers researchers a unique insight into early modern European medical thinking on the subject of fevers. What follows is merely intended as an introduction to Worth’s extensive collection and it is hoped that ‘fevers’ will form one of the many subjects investigated by research fellowships at the Worth Library.

Feverfew-right-hand-image
Detail of Feverfew plant from Dioscorides’ De medicinali materia (Frankfurt, 1549), p. 277.

Books on Fever in the Edward Worth Library

Angelucci,   Teodoro (1593) De natura et curatione malignae febris libri IIII. Theodoro Angelutio … authore …   (Venice,). 4o.
Anon (1576), De febribus opus sane aureum, non magis utile, quam rei medicae profitentibus necessarium: in quo trium sectarum clarissimi medici habentur, qui de hac re egerunt; nempè Graeci, Arabes, atque Latini … (Venice). 2o.
Anon (1683), De la guérison des fiévres par le quinquina (Paris). 12o.
Arcolani, Giovanni (1560), De febribus Ioannis Arculani in Avic. quarti Canonis fen primam dilucida atque optima expositio, nunc denuo accuratissime expurgata, ac duplici Avicennae textu exornata, altero antiquo, quem sequutus est Arculanus: altero quem post Andreae Alpagi … castigationes Benedictus Rinius … emendationibus & locorum citationibus illustrauit … (Venice). 8o.
Augenio, Orazio (1607), De febribus, febrium signis, symptomatibus, & prognostico libri septem ab ipso authore ab anno 1568. usque ad 1572. singuli conscripti. Nunc vero post eius obitum ab Hilario Augenio … in lucem emissi. .. (Venice). 2o.
Castro, Pedro de (1652), Febris maligna puncticularis aphorismis delineata (Nuremberg). 12o.
[Cheyne, George] (1722), A new theory of acute and slow continu’d fevers:… To which is prefix’d, an essay concerning the improvements of the theory of medicine (London). 8o.
Cockburn, W. (William) (1706), Sea diseases: or, a treatise of their nature, causes, and cure. Also, An essay on bleeding in fevers; shewing, the quantities of blood to be let, in any of their periods (London). 8o.
Cohausen, Johann Heinrich (1731), Archeus febrium faber et medicus. Sive Exercitatio-medico-practica de usu & methodo rationali, solida, certa & secura, tam in febribus intermittentibus, quàm periodicis continuis administrandi febrifugorum omnium maximum corticem Peruvianum seu chinam-chinam. Autore Joanne Henrico Cohausen … (Amsterdam). 8o.
Colbatch, John, Sir (1699), A collection of tracts, chirurgical and medical, viz… V. A treatise of the gout, wherein both its cause and cure are demonstrated; with some medicinal observations concerning the cure of fevers, &c. by the means of acids; with an account of experiments, and the medicines, with their preparations (London). 8o.
Cole, William (1693), Novæ hypotheseos, ad explicanda febrium intermittentium symptomata et typos excogitatæ hypotyposis. Unà cum ætiologiâ remediorum; speciatim verò de curatione per corticem peruvianum. Accessit dissertatiuncula de intestinorum motu peristaltico (London). 8o.
Davison, William (1660), Commentariorum in … Petri Severini … Ideam medicinae philosophicae, propediem proditurorum prodromus. … Sub finem authoris doctrina, febrium exemplo, in praxim reducitur. …Opera & studio Willielmi Davissoni (The Hague). 4o.
Fortis, Raimondo Giovanni (1677-80), Consultationum et responsionum medicinalium. Centuriae quatuor. Accesserunt ejusdem Consilia de febribus, et de morbis mulierum … (Geneva). 2o.
Freind, John (1719), Johannis Freind, M.D. de purgantibus, in secunda variolarum confluentium febre, adhibendis epistola (London). 8o.
Gatinaria, Marco (1604),   M. Gatinariae … de medendis humani corporis malis Practica … revisa, … Cui … accesserunt B. Astarii et C. Landulphi opuscula de febribus, ac insuper S. Aquilæ Quæstio de febribus et Tractatus de Morbo Gallico, etc.   (Frankfurt). 8o.
Gendre, Antonius (1626), De febre epidemica in Montis-Albani obsidione grassata : medica dissertatio…. (Lyons). 8o.
Giachini, Lionardo (1615), Leonardi Iacchini … Methodus curarandar. febriú, per Rodericum Fonsecam … in lucem edita. Cui accescere [sic] eiusem Fonsecae, que ad operis absolutionem febres desiderabantur … (Pisa). 4o.
Hecquet, Philippe (1724), Observations sur la saignée du pied, et sur la purgation au commencement de la petite verole, des fievres malignes & des grandes maladies. Preuves de decadence dans la pratique de medecine, confirmées par de justes raisons de doute contre l’inoculation (Paris). 12o.
Helvétius, Jean-Adrien (1694), Methode pour guerir toute sorte de fievres, sans rien faire prendre par la bouche… (Paris). 12o.
Jones, John (1683), Novarum dissertationum de morbis abstrusioribus tractatus primus. De febribus intermittentibus, in quo obiter febris continuae natura explicatur … (London). 8o.
Lommius, Jodocus (1720) Jodoci Lommii … De curandis febribus continuis, liber. In quatuor divisus sectiones: quarum singulae singulorum morbi temporum, quae totidem quoque sunt numero, remedia continent (Rotterdam). 8o.
Menjot, Antoine (1665), Febrium malignarum historia et curatio. Item Dissertationes pathologicae … (Paris). 4o.
Minadoi, Giovanni Battista (1597), De ratione mittendi sanguinis in febribus malignis, etiamnum apparentibus exanthematibus, sive peticulis, doctissima disputatio Jo. Bab. Minadoi. Cui accessit resolutio quaestionis an inter renes, & iecur nob. Rhodigini inhaeserit ulcus (Venice). 4o.
Morel, Jean (1641), De febre purpurata, epidemia, et pestilenti, quae ab aliquot annis in Burgundiam et omnes ferè Galliae provincias miserè debacchatur medica dissertatio: in qua de pestilentium febrium natura, causis, signis, et curatione breviter disseritur (Lyons). 8o.
Morton, Richard (1692) Puretologia: seu Exercitationes de morbis universalibus acutis (London). 8o.
Morton, Richard (1694), Puretologias, pars altera: sive Exercitatio de febribus inflammatoriis universalibus (London). 8o.
Nigrisoli, Francesco Maria (1700), Febris china chinae expugnata, seu Illustr. aliquot virorum opuscula, quae veram tradunt methodum, febres china chinae curandi. Collegit … Franciscus Maria Nigrisolus … (Ferrara). 4o.
Paulli, Simon (1678), Parekbasis; seu, Digressio de vera, unica ac proxima causa febrium … ab ipso auctore … edita (Strasbourg). 4o.
Perrellus, Franciscus (1597), De Febribus intermittentibus, deque veris intermissionum caussis libellus… Cui adjectæ sunt observationes quædam de urinis, quarto potissimum die, quibuslibet quidem in morbis, sed in pestilentibus maxime, ad certam salutis vel mortis conjecturam, observandis, per eundem.. (Paris). 8o.
Rossi, Francesco (1660), Nocturnae exercitationes in medicas historias, quae plurimum conducunt ad artem praedicendi in morbis acutis. Auctore Francisco Rubeo … Joannes Garmers denuò editit … (Hamburg). 8o.
[Rudio, Eustachio] (1593), De febre maligna disputatio cum Theodoro Angelucio … de eiusdem malignae febris natura & curatione differente. .. (Venice). 4o.
Savonarola, Giovanni Michele (1561), Practica canonica de febribus Io. Michaelis Savonarolae. Item de pulsibus. Urinis. Egestionibus. Vermibus. Balneis omnibus Italiae. … Caesaris Optati … De hectica febre, opus absolutum. … (Venice). 2o.
Sturm, Roland (1659), Febrifugi Peruviani vindiciarum … Pulveris historiam complectens ejusque vires & proprietates juxta sensum dogmaticorum exhibens. Auctore Rolando Sturmio … (Antwerp). 12o.
Sydenham, Thomas (1676), Observationes medicæ circa morborum acutorum historiam et curationem (London). 8o.
Sydenham, Thomas (1688), Schedula monitoria de novae febris ingressu … (London). 8o.
Tauvry, Daniel (1720) Pratique des maladies aigues, et de toutes celles qui dependent de la fermentation des liqueurs. Par M. Tauvry … (Paris). 12o.
Tiling, Mathias (1676), De febribus petechialibus tractatus curiosus, duabus sectionibus comprehensus; universam … hujus morbi historiam … breviter exhibens (Frankfurt). 8o.
Torti, Francesco (1712), Therapeutice specialis ad febres quasdam perniciosas, inopinatò, ac repentè lethales, una verò china china, peculiari methodo ministrata, sanabiles. … (Modena). 4o
Torti, Francesco (1715), Ad criticam dissertationem de abusu chinae chinae Mutinensibus medicis perperam objecto a … Bernardino Ramazzino … responsiones iatro-apologeticae Francisci Torti … (Modena). 4o.
Vallant, Jean François (1727), Quaestio medica eaque therapeutica sub hac verborum serie, an febribus malignis, sive purpuratis, sive non purpuratis,… cujus propositionum veritatem in Augustissimo Monspeliensi Apollinis Fano propugnabit … die mensis Junii anni 1727. Joannes-Franciscus Vallant Lugdunensis…. praeside illustrissimo viro D. D. Francisco Chicoyneau,…. (Montpellier). 8o.
Willis, Thomas (1659), Diatribæ duæ medico-philosophicæ, quarum prior agit de fermentatione sive de motu intestino particularum in quovis corpore. Altera de febribus sive de motu earundem in sanguine animalium his accessit dissertatio epistolica de urinis. Studio Thomæ Willis Medici Oxoniensis (London). 8o.
Zecchi, Giovanni (1613), De urinis brevis, et pulcherrima methodus. Cui de laterali dolore cum febre putrida, necnon mali moris tractatus, & consultatio accedunt. … Herculis Zecchij eius nepotis … opera, & studio in lucem edita. … (Bologna). 4o.

Books on ‘Pestilential fevers’:
Gallo, Andrea (1566) Fascis de peste, peripneumonia pestilentiali cum sputo sanguinis, febre pestilentiali, ac de quibusdam symptomatibus, in quinque fasciculos digestus. Authore Andrea Gallo (Brescia). 2o.
Gallus, Carolus (1600), De febribus pestilentibus, ac malignis, tractatus bipartitus. … (Ferrara). 4o.
Morel, Jean (1641), De febre purpurata, epidemia, et pestilenti, quae ab aliquot annis in Burgundiam et omnes ferè Galliae provincias miserè debacchatur medica dissertatio: in qua de pestilentium febrium natura, causis, signis, et curatione breviter disseritur (Lyon). 8o.
Perrellus, Franciscus (1597), De Febribus intermittentibus, deque veris intermissionum caussis libellus… Cui adjectæ sunt observationes quædam de urinis, quarto potissimum die, quibuslibet quidem in morbis, sed in pestilentibus maxime, ad certam salutis vel mortis conjecturam, observandis, per eundem… (Paris). 8o.
Salius Diversus, Petrus (1656), De febre pestilenti tractatus, et curationes quorundam particularium morborum, quorum tractatio ab ordinariis practicis non habetur. Atque annotationes in artem medicam, De medendis humani corporis malis, a Donato Antonio ab Altomari … conditam … (Harderwicjk). 8o.
Many works contains sections on fevers, particularly the comprehensive large folios of collected works of various authors. Here are some important examples:
Bellini, Lorenzo (1698), De urinis et pulsibus, de missione sanguinis, de febribus, de morbis capitis, et pectoris. Opus Laurentii Bellini, dicatum Francisco Redi. Cum praefatione Johannis Bohnii (Frankfurt and Leipzig). 4o.
Fabricius, Hieronymus (1647), Opera chirurgica. Quorum pars prior pentateuchum chirurgicum posterior operationes chirugicas continet. … Accesserunt huic postremae editioni instrumentoru, quae partim autor, partim alij recens invenere. Item, De abusu cucurbitularum in febribus putridis dissertatio … (Padua). 2o
Fernel, Jean (1592) Universa medicina, ab ipso quidem authore ante obitum diligenter recognita, & quatuor libris nunquam antè editis, ad praxim tamen perquam necessariis aucta. Nunc autem studio & diligentia Guil. Plantii … postremùm elimata, & in librumTherapeutices septimum doctissimis scholiis illustrata. Accessit recens, Methodus generalis curandarum febrium, nunquam antehac edita … (Frankfurt). 2o.
Trunconius, Jacobus (1593), De custodienda puerorum sanitate … De curandis eorumdem morbis ex Hippocrate, quousque caninos dentes emiserint. Accessit Tractatus de variolis, & morbillis, & Epistola eiusdem auct. de prauis febribus cum peticulis, quae anno 1590. & 1591. per Italiam vagarunt. … (Florence). 4o.

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